Automobile power mechanism.



E. B. SAPPINGTON.

AUTOMOBILE POWER MECHANISM.

APPLICATION rum) JULY 15, woe.

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AUTOMOBILE iOWBR MECHANISM.

APPLICATION nun JULY 15, 1909.

Patented May 30, 1911.

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E. B. SAPPINGTON.

AUTOMOBILE POWER MECHANISM. APPLICATION FILED JULY 15, 1909.

Patented May 30, 1911.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

. UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ELIJAH E. SAPPINGTON, 0F SPOKANE, WASHINGTON.

AUTOMOBILE POWER. MECHANISM.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 30, 1911.

Application filed July 15, 1909. Serial No. 507,754.

with a power-transmission device, so arranged that said platform may be dropped, to brin the driving and of a motor which is carried thereon, into contact with said supporting means, and the driving wheels against said transmission device.

Another object of this invention is, to provide a plurality of jacks so secured and positioned, that an automobile may be driven upon the jacks to automatically raise the vehicle.

Another object is to provide a set of pivotally held jacks arranged to receive, support and tilt a motor car, so that its drivmg wheels will contact with and agalnst two friction wheels rotating a driving shaft.

Another object, is to provide a mechanism, with which a motor car is brought into contact, so that the vehicle is raised and brought into contact with two friction wheels against which the driving wheels of the vehicle are forced under weight pres sure or gravity.

With these and other objects in view, the present invention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more fully described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that changes in the specific structure shown and described may be made within the scope of the claims without dc-- parting from the spirit of the invention.

In the drawings forming a part of this specification and in which like numerals of references indicate similar parts'in the sev eral views, Figure l is a sideelcvation of a set'of picks constructed according to my invention with the floor .111 section showing the motor vehicle as being supported, against the power transmission. Fig. 2 shows aside elevation of the transmission shaft and the connected friction wheels with the floor in section, disclosing the supporting position of the jacks. Fig. 3 shows a top view of my invention. Fig. 4 shows a modification Fig. 5 shows a further modification. v Fig. (i shows a modification of one of the jacks. Fig. 7 shows a top view of a transportable frame to be provided with suitable carrying jacks. Fig. 8 shows an enlargml clcvalional detail of the supporting jack shown in Fig. 7. Fig. 5) shows the holder as used in my invention in side view. The mm 01 my invention is broadly, to provide a plurality of rigid [)I\Ul:lll \f hcld members, with which a vehicle is brought into contact so that the members are tilted to carry up and hold the vehicle in sus pended and tilted position against the wheels of a transmission vshaft, so that the motor of said vehiclc may be used to rotate said transmission shaft.

- In the drawings, to designates the. floor of a carriage house, which is provided at the rear with the two trap. doors 12, which are supported by means of. th hinges lb. .\djaccnt to the doors 12 are secured the supporting brackets 14-, carrying the transmission shaft 15, to which are adjustably held the twogroovt-d friction wheels 1b. The trap doors 12 are supported by means of the bar 30, secured to the ends thereof, as shown in Fig. .2. The vehicle is supported by four rigid members lnarhed ii and it), which are in the form of and serve as jacks by means of which the vehicle is raised. Each rear jack is shown as having a rear prong 3, and the saddle depression .23. The rear jacks 20, are held upon the pins 1, carried by the bar 5, secured to one of the joists l3. 'lhcse jacks extend through a slot 9, within the floor 10. The forward jacks ll, have the saddle depression 1:2, and are pivotally mounlc'd upon the pins 13, carried by the bar t l, which may be secured upon the floor, as shown in Fig. 2. 'lhcse jacks are connected in sets of two b' means ol thc connecting rods to.

In their forwardly inclined position, the rear, jacks are stopywdulgainst the floor portion 21., forming the end of the slot, as shown in Fig. 2. The forward jacks I I are held at a greater inclination, than the rear jacks, so that a motor vehicle may be backed over these forward aclcs, to brin the rear axle into the rear jacks. In their tilted position the front jacks hold the vice is as follows.

wheels above the floor 10, the rear wheels however being suspended and held against the friction wheels 16. v

To the ceiling of the garage is'secnred the hanger S t carrying the. lever 26 from which depends the operating member 27 at the lower end provided with a suitable grip or handle The opposite end of this lever or member 26 is provided with a pliable connection 29 which is secured to the bar-'30. The handle :28, is secured to the slotted holder 16 by. means of the chain 27, to hold the doors 12 in a closed position. The hinges 18 are secured to the top part of the trap doors l2, and the jacks 20 are held within the slots 9 withinthe floor l0 and are arranged to normally tilt forward. The torward position of these jaclis is determined by means of a stop edge 21 so that all of these jacks are normally held. in a forwardly inclined position v 7 When the instrumentalities have been properly arranged the operation of my de- The motor car' 13 as shown in the drawings is backed into the garage and,so guided, that a non-rotating part of the running gear of the vehicle will contact with the prong 3 of the rear jacks.-

i The vehicle is backed witli 'su'tlicient force to throw the pivotally held jacks backvard, until the wheels I), contact with the trap doors the front jacks in the meantime are raised to be engaged by the forward axle to carry the front wheels ed the. floor. The doors 12 are then dropped, to bring the vehicle wheels D into contact with the friction wheels 16. After the center o1 gravity of the moving pivotally held jacks is passed, the vehicle will drop rearwardly so that the driving wheels D of the motor car will firmly contact with the friction wheels 16 which are so positioned that these two friction wheels l6 will engage. with the driving wheels D of the motor car. T he rear part of the motor car will then be held suspended, and in a tilted condition against these friction wheels 16. On starting the motor of the car, the wheels D are rotated and. the rotary movement is transmitted to the friction wheels 16 rotating the transmission shaft 15 and the connected pulley :39, over which is passed a suitable belt 28 so that certain niachinery such as is used in generating electric lights and making ice may be driven. In order to release the car or motor vehicle,

the operator tilts the lever 26 to carry the The jacks 35 are arranged to receivea non"- rotating part of the forward end of the vehicle, as the front axle supports for in stance, while the rear jacks 36 are to receive a non-rotating partot'a vehicle as has been previously described. "a this instance the forward and rearwardly positioned jacks are connected by means of the connecting rods provided with a to buckle, so that the relative positions .1' jacks may be nicely adiusted; This arrang d. ment permits the motor car being entirely as lifted off of the ground and held in a pended condition. in Fig l have shown the additional stop arms so 'wl'iich incline forwardly and are so positioned that as the rear jacks 36 are tilted haclrwarch a suitable part of the vehicle will contact with those arms 4.0 to determine the k vehicle. These arms 40, it will. he serve in the capacity of brace bars. A set suitably held friction wheels can brought into contact with the driving wheels or the vehicle. In Fig. i I have shown a modifica tionin which two extra arms are used and in connection with which I show tion wheels 12 mounted open the shaft supported within the standards 44?- 1 shown in Fig. =2 the connecting rod 359 is such a length that when the vehicle at; rest these forward jacks are held in. a slightly inclihed position so that the center mo of gravity will he to the rear of the pivot points'of these front The opera tion of these jacks is o't course to autinnv cally raise the motor car so that any repair ing to be done under the car may, he eonveniently accomplished.

In the modification as shown in Fig. 5 3. use two sets of jacks, but each iaclr is independent-Ly supported. In this :ruoditication the jacks pro ided with the hell cranks 51, to hold the aide to the jar s l/ i hile l have described the jaclrs pivot ally secured to the floor this is not absolutely necessary and in Fig. 7 ll show a "frame made of suitable steam or water pipe which is suitably anchored or otherwise secured to the floor of the carriage house or garage and carries four; jacks arranged to raise the car has been previously described. g

The modification shown in l 7. one 12 7 positioned pipe 55. The forward tube of pipe carries the forwardly positioned acks 58, while the rear pipe or tube57 carlies the rear jacks ($5. Extending upwardly from the frame are the pipe sections and 59 which are connected in V-shapc, and against which the rear jacks strike and are stopped to hold the jacks in a desired position.

In automobile ctinstruction it is especially desirable that the wheels should be relieved of an unnecessary strain, and in my invention i provide a mechanism by means of which the motor car is suspended while not in use, so that no unneccessary strain is imposed upon the elastic tires of the wheel. In addition to this, in providing the portable frame with a transmission shaft, the power of the automobile motor may be used to drive suitable auxiliary machinery. Where this supporting frame is made of pipe sections, these can be securely packed in transportation to be readily assembled in rearranging the parts. The holdcr lt'v', as shown in Fig. 9, is in the form of a slotted beak-hook into which the chain links are inserted, in ad usting the pivotally held or base sections 12.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I provide an automatic vehicle jack which is actuated in bringing the vehicle into collision with the supporting jacks to remove any carrying strain from the wheels. My device is light, readily adjustable, and positive in its operation. The jacks of course are held in spaced relation, and are arranged to operate sin'iultaiumusly.

And having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent is 1. The combination with a supporting base of a plurality of pivotally swinging jacks mounted on said base and having bearings at their upper ends. connections between the jacks, a hingcdbase section adjacentcertain of said jacks, means for controlling said hinged base section, a suitably supported transmission shaft positioned adaccnt to said swinging jacks, and fixed frictional wheels secured to said shaft, said jacks being arranged to support and swing a motor vehicle in a vertically and rearwardly extending arc, whereby the wheels of the rear 7 into engagement with said friction wheels.

means for controlling said 2. The combination with a supporting base, as a floor, of two sets of pivotally swinging jacks held in spaced relation having vehicle engaging hearing at their upper ends, a suitably supported transmission shaft positioned adjacent to said swinging jacks, frictional wheels a hinged support adjacent one set of jacks, hinged support adapted to support the rear wheels of a vehicle to lower said vehicle, whereby the rear wheels of the vehicle will be lowered into cngagemcnt with said frictional wheels.

3. The combination with a base for supporting a motor vehicle thereon, of a transmission shaft, friction wheels carried by said shaft, two sets of independently swinging and pivotally held jacks movable toward and away from said friction wheels, said jacks adapted to carry the vehicle through an arc to said friction wheels whereby the rear wheels of the vehicle are adapted to rest on said friction wheels.

at. .In combination, two pi votally held rear jacks, a drop floor sup orted adjacent said jacks, two forward jac (s, adjustable means for connecting said jacks, means to adjust said dro floor, said jacks adapted to ,engage and hol a motor vehicle, a drive shaft, a friction wheel on the shaft the driving wheels of said motor vehicle contacting with said friction wheel, and means for raising said drop floor, whereby the vehicle is raised from the friction wheel and swung on said jacks.

5. The combination with a support, a suitably hcld drive shaft on the support, of drop floor sections, two rear jacks pivoted adjacent and movablycooperating with said floor sections, two forward jacks pivoted on the support, means to connect said jacks, means to adjust said drop floor, suitable friction wheels on the drive shaft, said base supporting a motor vehicle engaging with said jacks to swing thereon and be carried through a vertical are thereby, whereby the drive wheels of said vehicle are first raised from the base and then lowered into contact with said friction wheels. In testimony wher at I allix my signature, in presence 0 two witnesses.

' ELIJAH E. SALPINGTON. N i tncsses I1. 11. Vl ATTS, A. Knamnn.

secured to said shaft, 

